Hadrat Shahrbano: The Reverend Mother of Imam Zayn al-Abidin Part II

The Holy Relationship

Shahrbano was the holy relationship between the Arabs and the Persians.
This is because she was the mother of Zayn al-'Abidin, who was the son of the two good (communities) and father of the pure progeny who filled the world with all the factors of awareness, dignity, and advancement.
Sayyid 'Abid al-'Aziz Sayyid al-Ahal said: "Zayn al-'Abidin is a strong relationship between us, we, the Arabs, and the Persians.

Then he is a strong relationship among all people.
It is as if he is among the strong causes which the Subtle, the Powerful (Allah) drove to erase division, to strengthen unity, and to bring people close to each other."
This was the strongest relationship between the Arabs and the Persians because it has spread love, affection, and unity among them.


Pre-Islamic Beliefs

Islam destroyed the pagan beliefs that divided the Muslims and paralyzed their unity.
Among those beliefs was that an Arab did not marry a non-Arab (woman ).
This is because he wanted to preserve Arab blood and lineage.
Surely this phenomenon divided the Muslims and destroyed their unity. Islam indeed cast away this hollow selfishness and these vain titles.
It supported the honor and beauty of soul.

Hence the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, said:
"Surely, the most honorable of you with Allah is the most pious of you." Islam has denoted in a positive way the just equality among the Muslims.
It has destroyed class differences and all racism. Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, married his relative Zaynab, the daughter of Jahash, who belonged to the chiefs of the Hashimites, to his retainer, Zayd b.
Ha`ritha.
He, may Allah bless him and his family, wanted the Islamic community to learn a lesson from that and to follow this clear straight path.

The Imams of the members of the House (ahl al -Bayt), peace be on them, followed this Prophetic method.
They waged war against racism and resisted pre-Islamic beliefs by marrying female slaves after they had released them.
They sometimes married them with money before they had freed them.
This had great influence on the Arabs, and they abandoned their pre-Islamic beliefs.

The historians said: "Ima`m al-Husayn, peace be on him, married Shahrbano

and she bore him the great figure of guidance, Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him.
The Arabs saw his perfection and his high self.
Hence Quraysh hurried to marry slave-wives.
Al-Mubarrad has narrated the following on the authority of a man from Quraysh.
The man's mother was a slave-wife.
The man said:
"One day I sat with Sa'id b. al-Musayyab, and he asked me:
'Who are your maternal uncles?'
My mother is a slave-wife, I answered."

Sa'id disdained the man.
However, the man was clever. He waited for a while.
In the mean time Sa`lim b. 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar came.
The latter was a Quraysh great figure, but his mother was a slave-wife. Sa'id talked with Sa`lim.
Then the latter went away. So the man asked Sa'id:

"Uncle, who is this man ?"

Sa'id became angry.
He shouted at the man, saying:

"Glory be to Allah !
Do you ignore this man who is from your people ?
This is Sa`lim b. 'Abd Allah b.
'Umar b. al-Khatta`b."

"Who is his mother ?" asked the man.

"A slave-wife," replied Sa'id.

Then al-Qa`sim b. Mohammed b.
Abi Baker came to Sa'id.
The former's mother was a slave-wife.
A talk took place between them.
When al-Qa`sim went away, the man asked Sa'id the same question.
The man answered him in the same manner.
Then Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin came.
Sa'id welcomed him warmly.
When the Ima`m went away, the man asked Sa'id: "Uncle, who is this man?"

"This is whom no Muslim can ignore.
This is 'Ali b. al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. Abi Ta`lib," replied Sa'id angrily.
"Who is his mother ?" asked the man.

"A slave-wife," replied Sa'id.

"Why did you disdain me when I said that my mother was a slave-wife ?
Is my mother not similar to theirs?" asked the man.

Sa'id confessed his mistake. He admired the man and took care of him.(Al-Mubarrad, al-Kamil, vol. 2, p. 462 Nazhat al-Jalis, vol. 2, p. 23. al-A'mmia al-Ithna 'Ashar, p. 176).

This bad phenomenon prevailed that time.
It resulted from the backgrounds of the pre-Islamic time that was intellectually and socially backward.
One has no shortcoming when his mother is from Rome, Persia, and the like.
For this reason the poet said:

Do not curse the person whose mother is from the Romans

Or is black from the non-Arabs.

Indeed the mothers of people are entrusted containers

And the lineage has fathers.

They only thing that increases the importance of the person is his good deeds, his services for his community, and his high self even though his mother is black from non-Arabs.
If the person's deeds are bad, then he is mean even if he is a Sharif from Quraysh.
The great Islam has underlined that. It does not hold importance to anything except good deeds, for they are the only criterion in showing the high and low position in it.


Ima`m 'Ali took care of Her

Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, took care of Shahrbano, for he was aware of her belief and her perfect intellect.
A group of traditions was narrated on his authority.
The traditions have praised her outstanding qualities.
Some of them are as follows:

A. He recommended his son, Ima`m Husayn, to treat her kindly, saying:
"Treat Shahrbano kindly, for she is satisfactory.
She will bear you the best of the people of the earth after you."('Uyyun al-Mu'jizat.
Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 5, p. 14).

B. He told his family that she would be the pure mother of the pure Imams. He, peace be on him, said:
"She is the mother of the trustees (of authority ), the pure progeny."( Basa'ir al-Darajat, p. 96. Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 5, p. 214.
Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 1, p. 13).

The pure Imams, from whom Allah kept away the uncleanness and purified thoroughly, branched from this noble Mistress.

Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, took care of Shahrbano, for he knew that she had good abilities such as virtues, perfection, and politeness.
He, peace be on him, asked her: "What have you memorized from your father after the Event of the Elephant?"

She answered him with this golden word that denotes her father's vast intellect and his experience in the affairs of life:

He said: "When Allah overcomes an affair, the ambitions become humble after it.
When the period is over, death is in the means."

The Ima`m was astonished at this wise word that indicates the reality of life.
Hence he admired her, saying: "What good your father said !
All matters are subject to destiny, so much so that sometimes death results from effort."(Al-Mufid, al-Irshad, p. 160. Al-Bihar, vol. 46, pp. 11-12).

Every thing in this existence is subject to Allah's will.
Indeed Allah , the Most High has the power over everything.
Man may depend on firm means.
He thinks that such means protect him from dangers.
However, they do not avail him.
This is because they might endanger him.
Therefore, his death results from them.


Al-Husayn took care of Her

Ima`m Husayn, peace be on him, took care of his wife,Shahrbano, very much.
He preferred her to his wives.
As a result this Shahrbano found respect and honor with the Ima`m.
So she forgot the luxurious life which she led during the rule of her father.
The Ima`m taught her the Islamic spiritual teachings to the extent that she renounced her royal life.
Sayyid 'Abd al-Aziz Sayyid al-Ahal said: "Al-Husayn, peace be on him, taught her Islamic teachings to the extent that she forgot the palaces of al-Mada`'in and the meadows of Kabul."


The Historians praised Her

Some historians praised this noble lady.
The following are their words (concerning her):


A. Al-Mubarrad

Concerning this great Mistress, al-Mubarrad said:

"Shahrbano was among the excellent women."(Al-Kamil, vol. 2, p. 462).

Indeed Shahrbanowas among the mistresses of the women. She was chaste, and her intellect was perfect. Moreover, her morals were high.


B. Ibn Shadqam

Ibn Shadqam said: "Shahrbano had many outstanding merits."(Zahrat al-Maqul, p. 16).

C. Al-Kunji

Ima`m al-Hafiz, Mohammed b. Yousif al-Kunji, said: "Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, created the rightly-guided Imams, from among the progeny of al-Husayn, from the daughter of Choesroe with the exclusion of the rest of his wives.(Kifayat al-Talib, p. 414).

Indeed Allah bestowed His favors and His care on this noble lady.
He endowed her with great favor.
He made her a noble mother for Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin and good pure grandmother for the pure Imams, who raised the Word of Allah high in the earth.

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